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Erik Timmerman

So much better than a pro
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Well, my kid is now a first year U14 racing our of Mount Mansfield Ski Club. She's been having a really good season so far, great training, but mixed success turning that into results so far. It's hard finding the line between going fast and falling, and she did both in the first few races of the year. We also lost one race due to lack of snow in the early season. On Sunday, she finally put together two good runs and got well up into the points. Like all of the kids in her age group she is obsessed with making it to States (and Easterns and Can/Ams) and this puts her well on her way.
But you live by the sword, you die by the sword. Yesterday she went down and probably ended her season. We are going to the doctor in a few hours. She is hoping to craft a plan that will allow her to be back by late March, but we don't know how bad the injury is yet and don't want to compromise next season and beyond. Hoping for the best, but assuming the worst. I told her this morning "at least you didn't wake up in the hospital today."
 

coskigirl

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I'm sorry to hear about your daughter @epic! It's so hard to watch them hurt. Crossing my fingers for a better than expected report from the doctor. FYI - the pic is showing that I don't have permission to view it.
 
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Tricia

Tricia

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Bummer on the injury. Keep us posted.
When I see your photos of her I can't help but think of this little girl.
1910589_19198405017_4690_n.jpg
 

dustyfog

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Epic - could not load the video to view - wanted to see how your daughter rips. And real sorry to read about injury, that's got to be tough, very brave girl. And as I am not familiar with all, who is in the picture there ? Just asking someone here or some famous skier when young ?
 
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Tricia

Tricia

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Philpug

Notorious P.U.G.
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Epic - could not load the video to view - wanted to see how your daughter rips. And real sorry to read about injury, that's got to be tough, very brave girl. And as I am not familiar with all, who is in the picture there ? Just asking someone here or some famous skier when young ?
It's not a video, just an image.

Any update on how she is doing?
 
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Tricia

Tricia

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I saw that shot on Facebook, which is one of the things that inspired me to start this thread.
I've seen a few different stages of some of these kids and it makes me smile.
 

Erik Timmerman

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Just got back from the doc. ACL. Tentatively scheduled for surgery in two weeks if the swelling is down. Not a happy girl right now.
 

Muleski

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Great pic! I remember those years well, and wringing the hands over whether to go the ski academy route or not at about that time. Both of our kids were real passionate and hard working. Loved the sport. Both now adults....and retired racers. It's a long road, and in our family, we'd do it again in a heartbeat. Or, we might move to another part of the country to do it a bit differently. This technology thing opens up many options.

Great sport, but one with a lot of ups and downs. Can be cruel at times. It teaches SO many life lessons. Been part of my family a long time. My parents raced before WWII. Only one of my wife's parents raced.

My advice to all is to remember that it is a long haul. Our son coaches in a very large, very intense program, year round. He loves it, and he works hard. Our daughter's in the business world, and "only" skiing about 60-70 days a season. We're so glad that we all share a love of skiing. It doesn't always work that way. Very easy to burn out in this endeavor. When my son was the age of Epic's daughter, he was in a training group of six. One went on to the USST. Five skied at the NCAA level. Three were captains, many were AA's. Incredibly unusual. My daughter's training group had two ski in college. The two phenom's were done as J1's, and I think no longer ski at all. One of the more interesting bits of ski history in our house are some result sheets from our kids J3 Junior Olympic years. Fascinating to see how the entire deck was re-shuffled between then, and when they were 18-19. Same names, very different results for most. A very small handful stayed at the top.

Many kids kept making steady progress. Some at the top slowed down. Some quit. Some changed their on snow focus. My son arrived at college {as a 21 year old FY} and two kids that he raced with at those JO's were there. Both captaining other sports teams, and really not skiing at all. Both had quit racing at 14-15, and had no regrets. Were loving life. My daughter was racing in pretty big events in her 20's with a bunch of kids that she had begun racing with at age 7. She met her college roommate at J2 Nationals, when they were 15. About half of the kids there, the "best" in the country, were out of it by the time they were 19.
She still often skis with "kids" that she's skied and raced with since they were toddlers.

So yes, take the long haul. One of my favorite coaches told me a long time ago that he liked my wife and me, because we "got" it. He was chuckling, and I asked where he was going. He said "You guys grew up doing this, so you know your role. Cheer every kid, give out a ton of hugs, bring a lot of good food, and write big checks." That was pretty constant through all of the years. Some years less food, more checks.

Epic, hoping for a speedy recovery for you daughter. Great pic, Subtle proof that there's more to Jay Peak than the powder, too. VT's NVC, serious stuff!

Have fun!
 

Muleski

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Posted before I saw your reply, Epic. Fact is that almost every woman in the sport will have ACL surgery at some point, some a number of times. Our daughter, knock wood has been lucky. None. My son's GF, who was at the top of the heap, has had 4 or 5. She stopped racing after the last, at about age 20. Still an incredible skier, and darn good coach.

Ligety blew out his ACL this morning. Maybe a good opportunity to become Facebook buddies. Sorry about her injury, but again......it' a long road.

Best of luck.
 

SBrown

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Just got back from the doc. ACL. Tentatively scheduled for surgery in two weeks if the swelling is down. Not a happy girl right now.

Sorry to hear. My first serious knee injury happened at her age: the pain of the diagnosis is way worse than the pain of the injury; when they tell you how long you're out, it's the only time you cry. She'll bounce back soon, though.
 

UGASkiDawg

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What a fun thread!

@epic that is too bad about your daughter..best wishes in her recovery. My 11 year old is soon to undergo surgery for a shoulder problem so I know how you feel.

My oldest is 2nd year U14 and this past Saturday had her first major crash in SG at Breck. Two gates from the finish she lost it and did double somersaults into the B netting and took out 2 sections of netting before coming to a stop, Fortunately nothing other than few scratches and bruises. She raced another SG on the same hill the next day but was very slow. The Sunday race was one of the 2 SG qualifiers for our regional championships and she was devastated by her slow time and finish.

As Muleski says above it's so hard and rewarding at the same time as a parent to watch them work so hard and not achieve their goals. The lessons they are learning about life and competition will serve so well in whatever they choose to do. The friends they have made and the places they have been already in their short lives are amazing. My girls are both in their 6th year of racing and over that time I have spent enough money to buy a very nice high end vehicle and that doesn't count the time investment in volunteering at races and hauling them around to practice. I'd do it all again at twice the price without hesitation. They are both much better skiers than me and both love the sport and that's all I wanted when I began this amazing journey.

I never ski raced, didn't even learn to ski until I was 25 and I'm jealous of my own kids:cool: and blown away by how tough they are. They are just plain tough kids.

I couldn't be more proud of their efforts over the last 6 years!

Here a few pics from over the years

5 Year Old Alex at her first YSL race took a pole to the eye in warmups but finished the race. Her mother told me to never text her a pic again:D


AlexBlackeye.jpg


An 8 year old Alex two gates from winning her first GS race on brutally cold day at Breck in 2013.
AlexGS_Age9.jpg



Olivia (with the hood on) on the podium at a Loveland GS with her best friend on the top step...getting beat by her best friend is a habit she is still trying to break:crossfingers:
Olivia_podium.jpg

Alex (in the blue jacket) on the podium at Aspen Highlands....I missed the actual race because I was hiking the bowl:eek:...she made me promise to take her on the bowl hike to make up for it:thumb:...I still haven't lived up to that promise:nono:

AlexPodium.jpg


Olivia at the Prater Cup U14 SG in 2015.
CBSG.jpg
 

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